This
page and the other pages in this series are the successors to the series
of web-page about the Camden Fire Department that began with the page Camden
Fire Department: The Fires of the Summer of 2011. On this and other
pages in the series you will find pictures and information regarding
different events and aspects of the fire service in Camden, New Jersey.

Continued
hot dry weather and possibly more bad actions by people with nothing
better to do than endanger the safety of others resulted in two brush
fires in Camden on July 12, 2012. Only three days earlier, on the afternoon of
July 9, 2012 a large brush
fire, or to be more accurate, a series of fires, in North Camden above Byron Street between Point and North 5th Streets
resulted in all hands being placed in services and the Gloucester City Fire Department
being called upon to render assistance.

I
was in Camden with my 90 year-old father, having just left Fire
Headquarters at Third and federal Streets when the alarm was read for
this fire, which was in the long-vacant land between North 4th and North
5th Streets, north of Byron Street. Engine Company 1 was dispatched. I
was not far from the scene and arrived a few minutes before Engine 1.
Parking on Byron Street above North 5th Street, after making sure my Dad
was ok... car running, locked, with the air-conditioning on... I got out
and scouted what was going on and where. It appeared that fire had been
set in at least three places.... one near North 4th Street, one in the
middle of the block, and one near North 5th Street. A fence runs east to
west here, the fire in the middle was south of the fence, the other two
were north of it. Fortunately for all concerned, there was little wind
and the fires did not spread. I notified Captain Daniel Payne of the
location of the fire near North 4th Street, and the company dealt with
all three fires in turn. Hot work on a very hot day.

Later
in the afternoon a much larger brush fire was fought near the site of
the old City incinerator on Federal Street near River Avenue. This blaze
did spread, all hands were placed in service and rail traffic through
the area was suspended for almost an hour while crews battled the blaze.
I did not get out to this one for photographs.

As with
the web page covering other Camden Fire Department events, if you can
identify anyone that I've missed, please e-mail me. (I'm terrible
at at names and faces).